In Sickness and In Health
by Gryvon
Summary: Doumeki/Watanuki. Watanuki gets sick again, post Volume 6.


_"You have people who don't want to lose you."_

He was tired again, but that was no surprise. Fatigue had been a constant of his life for the past week. He'd expected to feel better after Doumeki had shot that woman, the nice woman who had said things that haunted his memory still, and he had been fine for a few days. Then winter had struck in full force and his body had been too stressed to handle the cold of his lonely apartment, kind of like the cold of the rest of his life.

_"...he didn't want you to vanish forever."_

Yuuko's words filled his ears, the only sound he could hear over the momentary ringing in his ears, drowning out everything but the sudden sense of falling.

"You alright?" Doumeki was suddenly real close and Watanuki wasn't as cold anymore.

"'m just tired." His words were slurred slightly, though he was only half aware of it. A glance around the street told him that no one else had noticed Watanuki almost fall over. There wasn't even anyone else on the street. Why was Doumeki here, his mind asked, but the question seemed less important than trying to keep himself upright, a feat which had become harder than it should be.

"Come with me." Suddenly they were turning, the quick movement making Watanuki swoon. He lost his fight with balance, tilting straight into Doumeki's waiting arms.

"I need to go to work," he protested, the words raised as a flimsy shield. He wasn't sure what he was defending himself from or to or what, but he knew he needed to say something. Yuuko was expecting him. He couldn't wander off wherever it was Doumeki was leading him, though really it was more of half-dragging him.

"I'll call Yuuko."

"Oh." That made everything alright, and the next thing he knew he was staring up at a blurry ceiling. At least he thought it was a ceiling. Wherever it was he was warm, a lot warmer than he should be considering how cold it was. He should be colder. His apartment was a lot colder than this.

"Here." Something large thudded into the floor to the left of his head and he turned his head slightly to blink at Doumeki. What was Doumeki doing at his apartment?

"Huh?" At least that's what he tried to say. It came out more as an intelligible gurble.

"You have a fever," Doumeki said slowly, enunciating every word like Watanuki couldn't understand him. He understood just fine. At least he thought he did. He definitely understood the first part of what Doumeki said. There was something after that that he couldn't quite get but he figured it wasn't important. Maybe it wasn't important.

Strong arms lifted him, propping him against something warm and he thought that wasn't too bad. He didn't like his apartment cold so it was alright if there was something warm in it. A spoon tapped against his lips and he instinctively opened his mouth. Warm broth slipped down his throat and he decided this wasn't his apartment. People didn't cook for him in his apartment. There was no one in his apartment, just him and the cold. Here was better. It was warm and there was Doumeki and food, and that was better than the cold, he thought.

"Dou..." The other half of the name was cut off as the spoon tipped into his mouth and he swallowed before trying again. "Doumeki?"

"What?" Metal clanked against wood, and he guessed that meant Doumeki had put down the spoon for a moment.

The room spun when he left his eyes open so he closed them, the dark helping him form the thoughts that suddenly needed to get out into coherent, or at least semi-coherent sentences. "Was it true?"

"Was what true?"

Yuuko's words echoed in his head again and he had to know. It was suddenly vitally important that he ask, that he know for sure if Yuuko was right.

"You don't want me to disappear, right?"

There was a long paused before Doumeki spoke, the space between words filled with noise swirling in the dark behind Watanuki's eyes. He felt tired again, tired and warm and he wanted to sleep. He probably would sleep soon, he could feel himself slipping closer to unconsciousness every second he kept his eyes closed and he slumped further against Doumeki.

"Yeah," Doumeki finally confirmed.

Watanuki felt himself smile as he drifted back to sleep.


End file.
